FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND GLOSSARY

Q:

A:

What is the United States Code?

The Code is a consolidation and codification by subject
matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States.

Q:

A:

How is the United States Code organized?

The Code is divided into smaller units called titles. Each
title covers a broad subject matter category, such as title 7,
Agriculture, and title 10, Armed Forces. There are 54 titles of the
Code. The titles are listed on the
Search & Browse page.

Q:

A:

What is the difference between a positive law title and a
non-positive law title of the United States Code?

A positive law title is a title of the Code that has been
enacted into law as a title of the Code. A non-positive law title is a
title of the Code that consists of an editorial arrangement of Federal
statutes. See the
Positive Law Codification
page.

Q:

A:

Does the United States Code contain all the Federal laws?

No. The Code only includes the general and permanent laws of
the United States. Temporary laws, such as appropriations acts, and
special laws, such as one naming a post office, are not included in
the Code.

Q:

A:

How is it decided which laws are included in the United
States Code?

Congress determines by law the content of the positive law
titles of the Code. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel decides
where general and permanent freestanding provisions are placed in the
Code. See the
About Classification
page.

Q:

A:

How current is the United States Code?

For the online versions of the Code, currency information is provided
on the Currency and Updating page. Generally, the
print version of the Code is updated within six weeks to a year after the
end of a session of Congress to include the laws enacted during that session.

Q:

A:

How often is the United States Code updated?

For the most current version of the Code that is provided for searching
and browsing on this website, updates are made throughout a congressional
session on an ongoing basis as public laws are enacted. For the print version
of the Code, each title is updated once a year to include all of the laws
enacted during the latest session of Congress.

Q:

A:

How can I tell when a law becomes effective?

Unless otherwise provided by law, an act is effective on its
date of enactment. When a Code section or an amendment to a Code
section is effective on a date other than its date of enactment, the
Code will almost always include an effective date note under the
section. See the
Detailed Guide to the Code
.

Q:

A:

What version of the United States Code is the official
version?

The online versions of the Code on this website are produced
using the same database that is maintained by the Office of the Law
Revision Counsel, from which files are created and transmitted to the Government Publishing Office to print
volumes of the United States Code. However, it is the printed version of
the Code that is recognized under law as evidence of the laws of the
United States in all courts, tribunals, and public offices of the
United States, the States, and the Territories and possessions of the
United States (
1 U.S.C. 204
). Several private companies publish both
print and online versions of the Code. These versions are unofficial.
See the
About the Code page.

Q:

A:

Is the text of a law changed when it goes into the United
States Code?

The text of the law is not changed in positive law titles.
Some technical changes are made in the text of acts that are included
in non-positive law titles in order to integrate them into the Code.
These changes, which include changes in section designations,
headings, and translations, do not change the meaning of the law. See
the Detailed Guide to the Code.

Q:

A:

What is the difference between a United States Code section
and a statutory note?

Both Code sections and statutory notes are based on
provisions of Federal statutes. In the case of a non-positive law
title, whether a provision is set out as a Code section or as a
statutory note is a classification decision made by the editors of the
Code. See the
About Classification
page. In the case of a positive law
title, only Congress can add a section to, or amend a section of, the
title, but if Congress enacts a provision the subject of which relates
closely to that of an existing section, the editors of the Code may
set the provision out as a statutory note under that section.
Placement of a provision as a statutory note under a section of either
a positive law title or a non-positive law title has no effect on the
validity or legal force of the provision; that is, a provision set out
as a statutory note has the same validity and legal force as a
provision classified as a section of the Code.

Q:

A:

How do I find a particular act in the United States Code?

If you know the popular name of the act, such as the “Social
Security Act”, you can use the
Popular Names Table
to find the public
law number or act date and chapter number (for laws enacted before
1957). You can then use that information to find out where the law is
classified to the Code using
Table III
, or for recent laws, the
Classification Tables.

Q:

A:

How do I cite to the United States Code?

Section 204 of title 1 of the Code provides that supplements
to the Code may be cited as “U.S.C., Sup. ____ ”, with the blank being
filled with Roman figures denoting the number of the supplement and
new editions of the Code may be cited as “U.S.C., ____ ed.” with
the blank being filled in with figures denoting the last year the
legislation of which is included in whole or in part. Additional
guidance about citing the Code may be found in various citation
handbooks.

Q:

A:

What is positive law codification?

Positive law codification by the Office of the Law Revision
Counsel is the process of preparing and enacting codification bills to
restate existing law as positive law titles of the United States Code.
See the
Positive Law Codification
page.

Q:

A:

Why does it take so long to enact a positive law title of
the United States Code?

The preparation of a codification bill is an exacting
process. Unlike the authors of other bills in Congress, authors of a
codification bill are not free to put into the bill provisions that
reflect the particular policy choices of any Member of Congress or
any other person. Instead, the codification attorneys must be
scrupulous in ensuring that any changes in the form of the law that
the codification bill may propose do not change the meaning or effect
of the existing law that is restated in the codification bill. Any
significant change in the form that is intended to improve the law
(see Importance of
Positive Law Codification
on the Positive Law
Codification page) must be documented in tables and notes in the
report accompanying the codification bill. The codification attorneys
must obtain a consensus among all interested persons that the
codification bill does what it is supposed to do and nothing more. If
it is not possible to obtain that consensus by the end of the Congress
in which a codification bill is first introduced, a new, updated
codification bill must be prepared for introduction in the next
Congress. The process is inherently time-consuming.

Q:

A:

What effect does the editorial omission of a provision from the Code (for example, as part of an editorial reclassification project) have on the validity of the provision? How can I find the text of the omitted provision?

The editorial omission of a provision from the Code has no effect on the validity of the provision. The provision remains the law. All the omission means is that the text of the statute will no longer appear, starting with the most recent edition or supplement of the United States Code in print.

The text of the omitted provision can be found on the website in a number of ways. If you know the title and section number of the Code provision omitted, you can enter the Code title and section number in the search and browse feature, navigate to its prior location in the Code, and follow the links to the text as it appears in the Statutes at Large. For example, the text of section 1 of Pub. L. 93-531 (popularly known as the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974) was formerly set out as 25 U.S.C. 640d. The Statutes at Large citation for section 1 – Pub. L. 93-531, §1, Dec. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 1712 – is included in a Codification note on the webpage for 25 U.S.C. 640d. The citation is linked (as can be seen by mouseover) to 88 Stat. 1712, and clicking the link brings up an image of the page, where the text can be found. Any amendatory laws will also be cited in the Codification note. If there are none, the text as it appears on the Statutes at Large page is the most current.

In addition, at the top of the webpage upon which the omitted Code section appears is a dropdown box that allows you to view current and prior versions of the statute. In the example above (25 U.S.C. 640d) , viewing a prior version of the statute in the dropdown box (such as 2012 Ed. and Supplement III) will locate the full text of the statute prior to its omission.

You can also locate this information using the Popular Name tool. In the above example, the pop name entry for the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 has links to Short title of the Act, appearing under 25 U.S.C. 640d. You can then utilize the links to the underlying statute or the dropdown box to the Code provision prior to omission (as described above) to view the statutory language.

Please note that substructure linking works only in the most current version of the United States Code and does not work in prior publications.

Q:

A:

Can the Office of the Law Revision Counsel answer my legal
questions or provide me with legal advice?

No. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel prepares and
publishes the United States Code but cannot answer questions or
provide legal advice to members of the public about the meaning or
application of the laws in the Code.

Q:

A:

I have a comment about a law in the United States Code or
about pending legislation. Should I send it to the Office of the Law
Revision Counsel?

Comments about codification bills prepared by the Office of
the Law Revision Counsel are encouraged. See the
Positive Law Codification page.
Comments about any other legislation or existing
laws should be sent to your representatives in the
House
and
Senate or
to the House committees or Senate committees that have jurisdiction
over the matters you wish to comment on. The Office of the Law
Revision Counsel is not involved in the development of substantive
legislation or policies.

Q:

A:

What should I do if I find an error in the United States
Code?

Please advise the Law Revision Counsel of any possible
errors in the Code by sending an email to
uscode@mail.house.gov.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED ON THIS WEBSITE OR IN THE UNITED
STATES CODE

Act

“Act” is used to refer to a bill or joint resolution that has
passed both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and has been
signed into law by the President, or passed over his veto, thus
becoming a law.

Amended generally

“Amended generally” is used in amendment notes to indicate that
the provision was amended “to read as follows . . .”

Amendment note

An amendment note is an editorial note explaining how an act
amended a Code section.

Analysis

An analysis is a table of contents of a unit of the Code, such
as a subtitle or chapter.

Appendix

An appendix is the material that follows titles 5, 11, 18, 28,
and 50 of the Code. The appendices contain Federal court rules and
certain acts that relate to the subject matter of the title to which
they are attached. See the
Detailed Guide to the Code
.

Catchline

A catchline is the heading of a Code section.

Classified generally

“Classified generally” is used in references in text notes to
indicate that an entire act or unit of an act is classified to a
chapter or other unit of the Code, with possible minor exceptions,
such as a short title or effective date provision.

Classified principally

“Classified principally” is used in references in text notes to
indicate that the major part of an act or unit of an act, especially
the freestanding provisions, is classified to a chapter or other unit
of the Code. However, some freestanding provisions and some amendments
may be classified to other parts of the Code.

Classification

Classification is the process of deciding which laws are
included in the Code and where they are to be placed. See the
About Classification
page.

Classification Tables

The Classification Tables are tables that show where recently
enacted laws will appear in the Code and which sections of the Code
have been amended by those laws. The tables are available in Public
Law or Code order. See the
Classification Tables
. See also the entry
for Table III below.

Concluding provision

In a Code section, a concluding provision is the undesignated
text that follows a series of designated units, such as paragraphs.
For example, 11 U.S.C. 345(b) contains paragraphs (1) and (2) followed
by the concluding provision that reads: “unless the court for cause
orders otherwise.”

Credit

See source credit.

Designation

A designation is the number, letter, or number/letter
combination that identifies a unit, such as a chapter, section, or
subsection, in the Code. For example, the designation for the first
section in title 51 is section “10101”.

Editorial note

An editorial note is a note appearing in the Code that was
prepared by the editors of the Code. It is distinguished from a
statutory note, which is based on a provision of law. See the Detailed
Guide to the Code.

Effective Date note

An effective date note is a note that relates to the effective
date of a provision of an act. It can be either a statutory note if it
sets out a provision of law or an editorial note if it paraphrases or
refers to a statutory effective date note.

Freestanding provision

A freestanding provision is a provision of an act that is not
an amendment to or repeal of existing law.

Introductory provision

In a Code section, an introductory provision is the text that
precedes a series of subordinate designated units, such as paragraphs
or subparagraphs, and usually links up logically with each unit. For
example, 11 U.S.C. 101 begins with an introductory provision that
reads: “In this title the following definitions shall apply:”,
followed by paragraphs (1), (2), etc., that define a series of terms.

Notes

The textual material set out following a Code section and its
credit or preceding a Code section. There are two basic types of
notes: statutory notes and editorial notes.

Omitted

“Omitted” is used to indicate that statutory text has been
deleted for a reason other than that it was repealed. When “omitted”
is used in a section catchline, it indicates that the section has been
deleted because it was amended out of existence or because it is
obsolete, terminated, or expired. When “omitted” is used for a unit of
a section or of a statutory note, it indicates that the unit has been
deleted because it amended another provision or because it is
obsolete, terminated, or expired. Information about omitted material
in a section can usually be found in a Codification note under that
section.

Popular name

A “popular name” of an act, unit of an act, or unit of the Code
is a name that is attached to the act or unit through common usage. It
is distinguished from an official short title which is prescribed as
the name of an act or unit by law.

Positive law title

A positive law title is a title that has been enacted into law
as a title of the Code. See the
Positive Law Codification page.

Public law

A public law is an act of general application (unlike a private
law). Public laws are designated by the Congress number and the number
of the law for that Congress (e.g., Pub. L. 111-314 is the 314th law
of the 111th Congress).

References in Text note

A References in Text note is an editorial note that explains,
clarifies, or corrects a reference within the text of a Code section.

See Tables (for classification)

“See Tables” in an editorial note or bracket directs the reader
to consult
Table III
and the
Classification Tables
to determine where
a particular act has been incorporated into the Code.

Short Title note

A Short Title note is a note that relates to the name of an
act, unit of an act, or unit of the Code. It can be either a statutory
note if it sets out a provision of law or an editorial note if it
paraphrases or refers to a statutory note or relates to a popular
name.

So in original

“So in original” in a footnote means that the footnoted words
or punctuation are set out in the Code exactly as they appear in the
original act.

Source credits

A source credit is the series of citations immediately
following the text of a section or preceding the text of a statutory
note that identifies all of the acts that enacted, amended, or
otherwise affected the section or note. See the
Detailed Guide to the Code
.

Statutes at Large

The Statutes at Large is the official publication of the laws
enacted during each session of Congress. See
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/statutes/about.html. “Stat.” is used in a
source credit or other Code reference to indicate a Statutes at Large
volume and page number.

Statutory note

A statutory note is a provision of law set out as a note
following a Code section (or in some cases preceding the first section
of a chapter). See the
Detailed Guide to the Code
.

Table III

Table III is a Code table that contains information about the
classification of public laws to the United States Code. See
Table III.

Title

A title of the Code is the broadest subdivision of the Code.
The Code is organized into 54 titles each covering a broad subject
matter, such as Title 12, Banks and Banking, and Title 42, The
Public Health and Welfare. Many acts also have subdivisions that are
designated as titles. Act titles are typically given the Roman numeral
designations I, II, III, etc.

Translation

A translation is an editorial change made in a cross reference
when an act is incorporated into the Code, such as substituting
“section 1002 of title 20” for “section 102 of the Higher Education
Act of 1965” (which is classified to 20 U.S.C. 1002). See the
Detailed Guide to the Code
.